Something To Remember Me By
by TVDVampire
Summary: A short one-shot about Elena wearing Stefan's hoodie. Based on the show.


**A/N: Just a little one-shot that some of you asked me to write about Elena wearing Stefan's hoodie.**

**This takes place after Elena's humanity came back, but before the season finale. Elena and Damon are kind of together and Stefan is still in emotional pain because of it. But Elena has not chosen Damon for sure yet. **

Something To Remember Me By

She tip-toed quietly down the hall, not wanting to bring any attention to herself. As far as she knew, she and Stefan were the only ones in the house. But that could change at any moment. Damon or any other person from the dead could come waltzing in at any time.

His room was at the far end of the hallway, away from all of the other rooms. It was fitting for him, as he tended to keep to himself, even more so now that she had had a physical relationship with his brother.

She still found time to spend with him though, even if it hurt Stefan to see her. She was selfish though and could never quite stay away from him, even if it hurt him, knowing he couldn't be with her anymore. She would visit him in his room occasionally when Damon was out. Then there was the occasional run-in downstairs when both were hungry for a blood bag. He'd usually hand her one, never looking her directly in the eyes because she knew it still pained him to see her drinking it. So much so that Stefan still went to the grocery store once a week and bought regular food, wanting to keep the memory of her human life alive.

She'd even found herself giving in, opening the fridge and choosing grapes or strawberries to snack on. There was the occasional craving for chips and salsa too. A favorite of hers, and he knew this.

Damon never said much, though Elena knew he knew.

Elena stopped just outside of Stefan's bedroom, looking through the door that was cracked open. She could see him, sitting at his desk, writing. Probably in his journal. She had noticed that he had completed five new journals in the last few weeks, and it didn't surprise her. He spent most of his time holed up in his room writing.

Stefan didn't have to turn around to know she was standing just outside his door. He had heard her coming. He'd know those soft footsteps from a mile away. Even as a vampire, the way she walked hadn't changed. Even though most everything else had. "Everything okay?" he asked softly, stilling his pen as he focused on the possibility that she might answer him. Sometimes, she just simply walked away, unsure of what to say to him.

Other times though, she would come into his room and vent. She had been venting a lot lately since gaining her humanity back a few weeks before. He would sit quietly as she paced his floor, yelling and sometimes crying, running her hands through her hair. She had so much hate built up inside of her that he wanted her to let it all out. To get rid of it for good.

He was a true friend though, even when she least deserved it. "I umm … I wanted to give this back to you" she said, pushing the door open slowly and entering.

Stefan turned around in his chair to see her holding his hoodie. She had borrowed it the night her humanity came back. It had caught him off guard seeing her wearing it when he had found her, but it hadn't been the first time she had worn his clothes. He shouldn't have been thinking about that. "Keep it" he told her, giving her a relaxed, friendly smile. "Looks better on you anyway" he added.

Elena didn't smile, because she couldn't bring herself to. He was being so nice to her. "It's yours" she told him, holding the sweatshirt out to him a little more this time, encouraging him to take it.

He shook his head this time. "Really Elena, keep it" he told her. Then he turned back around and picked up his pen again. _Something to remember me by_, he thought.

If she hadn't been so uncomfortable in his presence right then, she might have argued with him and told him to take it back. "Thank you" she told him, silently thankful that he had told her to keep it. It was one of her favorites. _And it smells like him_, she thought. "I'll see you later" she said awkwardly.

"See you" he said softly, his back still to her. She could pick up on the pain in his voice that he was trying to hide and she wondered what in the hell she was doing. Staying close to him, but not close enough to give him what he really wanted. A lifetime together.

If anyone was worse than her at trying to cover up emotions, it was him. And she knew that he was in emotional pain. He was grieving the loss of her and she stuck around for her own selfish reasons. Because she couldn't quite live without him. Sure she had Damon. But having Stefan meant something else entirely different to her.

Before she could list all of the things Stefan meant to her, she carefully slipped back out of his room, needing a distraction. She took her phone out of her pocket and saw that she had no new messages. She could have called Damon to see what he was up to.

Then she looked at the sweatshirt still slung over her arm. She did want to get out of the house, but she didn't want to see Damon. It was an awkward relationship by her standards, because she didn't want to be with him every second of the day.

It wasn't like when she was with Stefan, and she would have spent all day with him if she could, learning from him and teasing him and dragging him around to all those different places that she knew deep down in his heart he hated, but would go to for her.

Elena decided to go off by herself. Maybe it was a vampire thing. Vampires liked their space every once in a while. Or maybe it was a Damon thing, and too much of Damon was never good for anyone.

Elena slipped Stefan's hoodie back on and hurried down the stairs. Just a few hours out would do her some good.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Elena tossed another rock into the lake as she sat just at the water's edge on the sand. She never could get those stupid stones to skip like he could. Though, Stefan was good at whatever he tried. Natural talent combined with complete focus and dedication. _All things I lack_, she thought.

She took another sip from the bottle of whiskey she had borrowed from the liquor store. She had compelled the store clerk, seeing as how she was only 18. That and she had left her purse and hadn't had any money. Surely one bottle missing wouldn't be a big deal.

Just behind her sat her parent's lake house, still as empty as ever. She thought about going in there and spending the night, but then thought better of it. Spending too much time in there would bring back too many memories for her and right now, she was fresh on the wagon in terms of her humanity.

Every time she glanced at the tire swing, she saw Jeremy's clumsy falls he had had growing up.

The back yard was full of memories of her dad playing tag with them while her mom watched from the kitchen window. Speaking of the kitchen.

The kitchen counter was a whole other memory in its self. _Stefan_, she thought.

And just outside the front door, memories of _him _protecting her fluttered through her mind at rapid speed. He'd saved her from the werewolf as she ran out of the house, clutching a knife. And when she had stabbed herself, only to stab Elijah. Stefan had raced to her side, holding her and curing her wound.

Elena blinked, needing to focus on something else. Anything else but _him._

"Elena?" he said, catching her by surprise. She had been so caught up in reminiscing that she hadn't heard him approach.

Elena turned slightly to see him standing a few yards away. "I didn't hear you" she said softly, choosing to admit that to him because he wouldn't give her a hard time about it like the others might. It was dangerous for her to not be so aware of her surroundings, especially lately with everyone trying to kill her.

"I know" he replied, just as calmly. He finished walking over to her, inviting himself to sit down next to her.

They sat in silence for almost ten minutes, neither of them pressured to say anything, but knowing exactly what the other was thinking. "I couldn't sleep" she told him finally.

Stefan nodded. "I couldn't either" he replied. _Because I worry about you when you're alone_, he thought.

"So you ended up at my parent's lake house?" she asked.

Stefan smiled as he looked out over the water. "It's peaceful here" he told her. It gave him time to clear his mind.

Elena listened to his answer, feeling a sense of familiarity. For the most part, she found it peaceful too. So peaceful in fact that it allowed her to be honest with herself. "I'm sorry" she blurted out quietly. His head turned to look at her curiously. "I'm hurting you" she said, unable to look at him.

He wasn't quite sure what to say. Maybe he needed to be honest with her now. "I miss you" he admitted. He missed her like crazy. "But I'll move on at some point. I respect you too much to hang around and hold you back."

So he hadn't denied that she was hurting him. And he admitted he was going to try and move on. For her. Elena closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "What if I wake up one day and realize I am supposed to be with you?" she asked with a shaky voice.

Stefan grabbed her hand with his, causing her to open her eyes and look up at him. He smiled sadly at her. "Then you'll find me" he said softly.

Her dead heart sunk deep into her chest, hearing him say that he would be waiting for her if she decided she wanted him. Tears escaped suddenly and she gasped quietly. Grief truly was crippling, so much so that she felt as though she couldn't breathe. Not that she needed to, but sometimes she forgot that she was a vampire.

He couldn't stop himself from wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. He knew. As hard as it was for him, he knew that it was just as hard for her. She was confused, and although he loved his brother, he knew his brother was taking advantage of her confusion. "Breathe" he whispered, running his hand over her head and smoothing her hair. "Breathe" he repeated. He wanted to ground her, so that her feelings would not become overwhelming to the point where she spiraled back out of control.

Elena felt herself breathe, slowly relaxing into his arms a few minutes later. It was that easy with him. "Thank you" she said, pulling away from him and wiping at her eyes.

He was looking into her eyes with such concern that she couldn't stop herself. She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. She expected him to pull away, to tell her that she was upset and that she wasn't thinking clearly.

But he didn't. His hands reached up, cupping her face as he leaned in and kissed her back. He couldn't stop himself. He had been so concerned about respecting Damon and Elena's relationship that he had been reserved when it came to her. But he wanted her. He was tired of being screwed over by his brother. He was tired of caring about Damon time and time again, only to be hurt by him.

Elena felt his hands move downwards, latching on to her hoodie. _His hoodie_, he reminded himself. Slowly, he ended their kiss, pulling away slightly as his fingers grabbed onto the zipper of the hoodie. Elena looked down as she watched his hands, pulling the zipper down ever so slowly. Her heart was racing as she anticipated what was to come.

When the zipper was down, he was pushing the hoodie off of her shoulders and she was helping him, pulling one arm out at a time. He wanted to laugh when one sleeve got stuck, but he didn't.

When the hoodie was completely off, Elena flung it to the side just before Stefan grabbed her, pulling her close and kissing her again. Elena closed her eyes and opened her lips just slightly when she felt Stefan moving along her neck, kissing her roughly.

"Stefan" she moaned softly, feeling herself being pushed backwards as he moved over the top of her. She felt his hands snake their way under her shirt as she lay there, helpless to his touch.

Elena felt herself smile as her shirt was lifted up and his lips found their way to her stomach, kissing her there too. She opened her eyes and looked to her left, seeing his hoodie in a pile not far from them.

It was nice to feel something so good, so strongly for once. So screw the guilt she knew she would feel later for betraying Damon. Screw any ramifications that might be waiting for her.

Screw anything that didn't have to do with Stefan unbuttoning her pants and sliding them down her legs.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Stefan and Elena were both smiling like idiots as they got dressed. They hadn't said much after she collapsed on top of him, but they had stayed like that for a little while, remembering what it had been like to just lay there with one another.

Stefan reached over and grabbed his hoodie, tossing it to her. Elena held onto it and smiled. "You're sure you don't want it back?" she asked.

"Like I said. It looks better on you" he said, shooting her a knowing glance as he pulled his t-shirt back on. "Can I walk you home?" he asked.

"Yeah" she told him. She stood up and waited for him, falling into a comfortable pace as they walked along the beach. "Are you really going to leave town?" she asked quietly. Damon had told her and at the time, she hadn't cared.

Stefan shrugged. "I'd like to go back to Paris" he replied. He was in no hurry and had no definite plans. But he was considering it.

Elena was quiet for a moment, thinking about his plans. "If I decide I want to go, can I go with you?" she asked him. The fact that she was even considering running off with Stefan seemed to illustrate for them both that she wasn't 100% sure about her relationship with Damon.

"Yes" he answered simply. "You're free to do whatever you want to do, Elena" he told her softly.

Elena walked silently with him the rest of the way home, trying to think about what she would say to Damon if she decided to leave.

He could tell she was thinking hard and he wanted to distract her. He was good at doing that. "Do you know what you are wearing to graduation yet?" he asked.

Elena smiled as she looked up at him. "Well, it is kind of a long story …" she trailed off, continuing to tell him what had happened while trying to pick out a dress for graduation.

And like the caring guy he was, he listened. He even offered feedback, wondering how he knew so much about dresses.

Then he remembered, he had studied Elena in her dresses for so many years that he knew exactly what she looked amazing in.

Everything.

**A/N: This was just my take on what could happen between Stefan, his hoodie and Elena. Simply for fun. I miss TV Stelena so much : (**


End file.
